A NEW guide book published today lists Coventry as one of the liveliest cities in Britain, along with places like Nottingham, Birmingham and Leicester.

The 2001 Lonely Planet guide describes Coventry as "thriving" - a far cry from its last edition published in 1997, which called it dismal, depressing and windswept.

Researchers for the new book believe Coventrians enjoy one of the best scenes for "thriving nightlife" in the whole of Britain, with new additions such as the clubs in the SkyDome and The Planet putting the city firmly on the entertainments map.

Warwick Arts Centre also came in for lots of praise, described as "the largest outside London".

Fellow Midlands towns singled out for praise included "cultural vibrant" Birmingham, four years after Lonely Planet dismissed the whole of the West Midlands region as "the worst area in the country".

But for once, it seems, the compilers of the book are giving praise where praise is due.

In the four or five years since they last visited the city, much has been done to breathe new life into the city centre, including the "grey" precinct.

By the end of this year, the Lower Precinct will have been transformed into a multi-million pound shopping mall, with cafes, bars and restaurants.

The #40million Phoenix Initiative is one of the most ambitious projects in the country, with architectural work on the site of the city's first mediaeval cathedral attracting national interest.

The SkyDome has brought three major clubs to the city, as well as bars, places to eat and the multi-purpose Arena.

And Coventry people themselves are beginning to realise themselves that the city is not so bad after all - last year there was outcry when the Evening Telegraph reported Virgin had described Coventry as suffering "from a traffic-locked air of depression".

Virgin withdrew the accusations, and Sir Richard Branson apologised to the city, after the Evening Telegraph protested.